As Canadians continue to increasingly travel and spend abroad, tourism organizations in this country need to focus on narrowing the travel deficit, according to a report from the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) released today.
Tourism’s contribution to Canada’s GDP showed a 4% increase in 2012 at $32 billion. But the gap between what Canadians spend on international travel and the revenue brought in by Canadian tourism is forecast to reach a record high of $17.8 billion in 2012.
The number of international travellers to Canada was up 3% in 2012, with the largest increase from China. Visits from Chinese tourist were up 22%, with an 18% increase in spending. The CTC also reported strong growth in the numbers of tourists from Australia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico. Visits and spending from the Euro zone countries like Germany, France and the U.K. were down slightly. American tourist visits rose by 2% and spending increased by 4%.
The Canadian Tourism Commission noted that China, the world’s third-largest tourism spender, saw growth of 42% in tourism spending abroad in 2012, while Russia’s overseas spending grew by 31%.
